Soccer coach Jimmy Zito charged with sexual assault, exploitation

Ottawa soccer coach James “Jimmy” Zito was charged Friday with two counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual exploitation.

The charges by the Ottawa Police Service’s sexual assault and child abuse section follow an investigation that began in April, after a woman reported that her soccer coach sexually assaulted her on two occasions in 2014 when she was 17 years old.

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A well-known coach, the 38-year-old Zito coached numerous teams in the Ottawa area, including the Algonquin Thunder, for which he also played, and Ottawa Fury affiliated teams. In 2009, he led Algonquin’s men’s team to a provincial title, and a year later coached the Fury’s U17 women’s team to a North American championship.

In 2011, he was selected male coach of the year at the Ottawa Sports Awards’ annual banquet.

The Ottawa Fury FC released a statement on Friday. “We are aware of the charges,” it read, “however, we were not contacted by Ottawa Police as part of their investigation. Since the matter is now in legal process, It would be inappropriate to make any further public comment.”

The club declined a request for an interview.

Police believe there may other victims. Anyone with information is asked to call the Ottawa police case management tip line at 613-236-1222, ext. 5760, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, or by downloading the Ottawa police app.